The Thompson-Nicola Regional Library (TNRL) is celebrating its 50th anniversary this month, marking five decades of literacy, learning, and community connection, and between now and Oct. 26 is holding special events at all its branches, including Cache Creek, Ashcroft, and Clinton.
The seeds of the TNRL were sown in 1972, when the Cariboo Thompson-Nicola Regional Library System Society was formed. The society used a temporary “Bookmobile” to travel throughout the rural areas of the Cariboo and Thompson-Nicola Regional Districts and demonstrate the benefits of a library system, and in the first six weeks of operation registered 1,768 library users, circulated nearly 8,600 books, held information nights, handed out brochures, and even canvassed door-to-door.
Informal libraries had existed in some communities prior to 1972, but in 1973 Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Logan Lake, Kamloops, and Merritt councils all opted in to the proposed new system. A TNRD-wide referendum to accept a library system that would include all member municipalities and electoral areas passed with a vote of 87 per cent in favour, and in January 1974 the Thompson-Nicola Library System began.
By 1975, TNLS libraries had opened in Ashcroft, Barriere, Blue River, Cache Creek, Chase, Clinton, Logan Lake, and North Kamloops. In 1976 it became the Cariboo-Thompson Nicola Library System, which at one time covered 50,000 square miles and served a population of 160,000 through 43 branches, eight reading centres, and a Bookmobile.
In 1994 the Cariboo and Thompson-Nicola Regional Districts opted to run their own individual library systems. That same year, the TNRD Library System (as it was called) introduced a new computer catalogue to help patrons search for library items, replacing microfiche readers (remember them?) and card catalogues.
It was the first of many technological and other innovations that the library system — renamed the TNRL in 2018 — would adopt or pioneer. Others include using the Bookmobile (now called the Mobile Library) as a mobile voting station for rural residents during elections; pioneering a service extender at the Ashcroft Library to allow patrons to use the library outside regular hours; opening a “tiny library” (352 square feet) at Aberdeen Mall in Kamloops in 2023 to serve that part of the city; and piloting the use of an automated book dispenser and holds locker at the Aberdeen Library.
Today the TNRL serves an area covering nearly 45,000 square kilometres, and a population of 143,680 in 11 municipalities and 10 electoral areas, via 13 libraries and a Mobile Library that stops in 29 locations throughout the region. And while many people associate libraries with just books, the TNRL offers so much more, including free passes to the BC Wildlife Park and the Paramount Theatre in Kamloops, kits and packs covering everything from birds to bats, online resources including access to music, movies, and TV shows, ebooks and audiobooks, digital newspapers, and devices such as thermal imaging kits, home radon detector kits, CO2 monitors, and electronic energy meters. You can even check out guitars and ukuleles, along with resources to help you learn to play (or improve your skills).
But wait; there’s more! The TNRL hosts the “One Book, One Community” event, which aims to get people reading (and talking about) a thought-provoking book and meet the author. Its residency program has included writers, musicians, and filmmakers. Individual branches play host to a wide variety of programs and events, from children’s story time to crafting and games sessions, and everything the library offers is absolutely free of charge; all you need is a library card, which can be obtained online or at any branch (including the Mobile Library).
To celebrate 50 years of the TNRL, each branch is holding a special event. On Thursday, Oct. 24 the Cache Creek Library will be serving up some light refreshments and holding a few activities from 3 to 7 p.m. (there will be face painting from 4 to 5 p.m.). On Friday, Oct. 25, the Ashcroft Library will be hosting authors Scott and Lisa Brearley, who will be sharing their crisis recovery strategies; there will also be face painting from 1:30 to 3 p.m. The Clinton Library will be hosting a special event on Saturday, Oct. 26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
To learn more about the Thompson-Nicola Regional Library, see what’s happening at your local branch, obtain a library card, or more, go to www.tnrl.ca.
